Then there was the Skylark squad operating near the Lashier Continent.
"Fragment detected."
"Commencing neutralization!"
Though no humans lived there, the land teemed with other life—plants, animals, and insects alike. The Skylark squad gave their all to protect them.
One fairly large fragment managed to slip through the Skylark squad’s barrage.
"Skylark 151, engaging!"
However, anticipating such an occurrence, Laojun had stationed ten units at a low altitude on standby. Receiving the order, Skylark 151 locked onto the fragment in two seconds and neutralized it in one. At a mere two thousand meters, it had truly been a close call.
"Fragment detected."
"It's a big one. Stay alert!"
For more than an hour after that, the Skylark squad continued to intercept the incoming debris.
"Fragment detected."
"Neutralizing!"
The last piece was successfully teleported away at 11:00 AM local time.
『Good work.』
Laojun offered his commendation to the squad. While fragments entering the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds had generated shockwaves, the resulting damage was fortunately minor.
＊ ＊ ＊
『The extra-large-class fragment is now ten million kilometers from Ars. I judge that we are out of danger.』
"Is it finally over...?"
Back on Hourai Island, Jin exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. It was now 11:00 AM.
『My Lord, I shall maintain the watch for a while. Please, get some rest.』
Laojun spoke to Jin.
"Yeah, I think I'll do that."
Rising from the cockpit of Jin D, Jin let out a massive yawn. As he stretched his limbs, he noticed Elsa watching him.
"Jin-nii, thank you for your hard work."
"You too, Elsa."
The two of them exchanged a warm smile.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the Shouro Empire, it was just past 6:00 AM. The sky began to pale as dawn approached, and the stars winked out one by one.
"The stars are disappearing."
Reinhard let out a breath of relief.
"Dear, is it finished?"
Berche stepped out from Rankenhaus, cradling their daughter, Juliana.
"Yeah, it seems it's over."
"And nothing happened, after all."
"That's right. We have Jin to thank for that."
＊ ＊ ＊
"Nothing happened, huh?"
"Peace and quiet is the greatest blessing of all."
"Yeah, Grandma."
In Kaina Village, dawn had already fully broken. Just in case, no one had headed out to work the fields yet; even if the stars were no longer visible, there was still a chance of meteorites falling.
＊ ＊ ＊
『According to reports from the Watchers, there have been zero human casualties resulting from the falling debris.』
"Oh, that's great news!"
『Regrettably, fragments entering the atmosphere generated shockwaves that caused a few incidents. Trees in a forest were leveled and a rocky mountain collapsed—those are the two reports we have. Both occurred on the Lashier Continent.』
"That’s... unfortunate, but I suppose it can't be helped. No meteorites actually made impact, right?"
『No, My Lord. Not a single fragment reached the surface. It is a remarkable achievement.』
Laojun, fully aware of the effort involved, praised his creator.
"No, it wasn't just my doing. Elsa, Laojun, Reiko, the Sky squad, the Marine squad, the Land squad, the Cosmos squad, the Smith squad... it’s only because everyone did their part."
『We were all created by you, My Lord. Therefore, the credit belongs to your strength.』
"...Thanks. Let's just leave it at that for now."
『Once it passes noon local time, I believe it will be safe to announce to the various nations that the danger has passed.』
"Agreed. Let's go with that. But don't let your guard down for the rest of the day."
＊ ＊ ＊
"Jin-kun, you did it... That was amazing."
Aboard Uni, Milowina watched the monitor, her heart full of praise for Jin.
"Once things have settled, I think I’d like to visit Hourai Island again."
Gently stroking her pendant-type sterilization barrier generator, Milowina whispered to herself.
"I should bring a gift when I go... Jack, were any fragments recovered?"
《Yes, Milowina-sama. While there was no danger of them falling here, I recovered eleven pieces that looked useful as resources.》
"I see. And are they actually usable?"
《Indeed. Two are ferrous, three contain copper, and six are stony.》
"Iron and copper will certainly be useful."
《Yes.》
"Jin-kun must have exhausted a massive amount of materials this time, so we should help him replenish his stock, even if just by a little."
《Understood.》
＊ ＊ ＊
『The Adriana is commencing recovery of the large force generators and the Cosmos squad.』
Laojun reported to Jin, who was now relaxing in the command room.
"Good. We can't let the large force generators go to waste, so please bring the Cosmos squad back quickly as well."
『I am already on it....Furthermore, regarding the fragments temporarily stored on Hourai Island, once the useful materials are extracted, we will send the remains toward Celane along with the extra-large-class fragment.』
"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."
『I also intend to recover materials from the fragments accumulated in orbit.』
"Please do."
They had consumed a quantity of resources equivalent to over a hundred years of mining on Hourai Island. Although they still had a stockpile, it was best to replenish it while they could.
『My Lord, it truly seems the danger has passed. Please take a long, slow rest with Elsa-sama.』
"And what of the second wave?"
『Their speed is vastly different. There is no chance of them approaching us. However, just in case, we shall deal with all of them in outer space.』
"I-I see."
It was 4:00 PM Hourai Island Time. There were no longer any fragments or even the smallest shards falling toward Ars.
"Understood. I think I'll go soak in the hot spring for a bit."
And so, the Long-period Planet Modenu Incident came to an end.